Rhaphiolepis umbellata

Rhaphiolepis umbellata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Rhaphiolepis
Species:
R. umbellata
Binomial name
Rhaphiolepis umbellata
Synonyms
  • Laurus umbellata Thunb.
  • Mespilus sieboldii Blume
  • Rhaphiolepis indica f. umbellata (Thunb.) Hatus.
  • Rhaphiolepis indica var. umbellata (Thunb.) H. Ohashi
  • Rhaphiolepis japonica var. integerrima Hook. f.
  • Rhaphiolepis ovata Briot

Rhaphiolepis umbellata or Sexton's bride is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Growing to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall and wide, it is an evergreen shrub with glossy oval leaves, and scented white flowers, sometimes tinged with pink, in early summer.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It is used in Japan as an astringent and a dyeing agent. The bark contains (−)-catechin 7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside and (+)-catechin 5-0-β-d-glucopyranoside.